The Best Chicken Biscuit Above the Mason Dixon

With the exception of old school red sauce joints my antipathy for Brooklyn is nigh legendary, which is why I’m glad that I have friends like Kristen Baughman ,who was kind enough to write a guest post about a certain Southern sandwich in the County of Kings for this week’s Sandwich Wednesday. Take it away, Kristen.

I recently moved to Brooklyn on a whim. Sure, I’ve met my fair share of interesting people—like the man off the Morgan Avenue L train stop who owns a pet bobcat. The beauty of New York City is that everyone is different. Unlike the suburbs of North Carolina, I can walk outside of my tiny Bushwick apartment on any given day and hear at least three different languages or see someone with blue hair. I’m having fun exploring the Big Apple, but I would be lying (especially to my stomach) if I told you I didn’t miss Southern food.Kasey, another North Carolina expat, told me she had the solution for appeasing my homesick belly: Pies-n-Thighs. Three ladies from California and the North own this Southern restaurant under the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn. They believe comfort food speaks to everyone and as a true Southerner, I’d have to agree. Grits, collard greens, and pie—yes, please! However, as I waited in the massive line for Sunday brunch, I became a little skeptical to see how the food at Pies-n-Thighs would stand up to Grandma’s cooking.

The key to having an enjoyable experience at Pies-n-Thighs is to get there early. I often find myself scoffing at the long lines in New York City but trust me, the biscuit I’m about to tell you about is worth the wait.

When I started driving to high school, my father would give me money to treat myself to a Chick-fil-A breakfast on Friday mornings. The smell and taste of that delicious fried chicken served on a buttermilk biscuit is still burned in my memory. What I’m about to say surely wouldn’t please Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy, but Pies-n-Thighs’ chicken biscuit has stolen my Southern heart.

Pies-n-Thighs’ biscuit would give any Southern grandma a run for her money. It’s buttery and fluffy with the perfect hint of sugar. Add on a crispy chicken cutlet fried to perfection, slather on the honey and hot sauce, and you have yourself the perfect chicken biscuit above the Mason Dixon line. And I’ll be darned if you don’t have hot sauce running down your fingers by the last bite, you clearly didn’t get the most out of your Pies-n-Thighs chicken biscuit experience. No matter if you’re a Southerner living in the city or a native New Yorker, Pies-n-Thighs’ chicken biscuit will leave y’all with a little piece of Southern comfort.

Pies-n-Thighs 166 S. 4th St., 347-529-6090

Kristen Baughman is a social media and public relations consultant with Gadabout Food based in Brooklyn, N.Y. Kristen is also serves a freelance writer and her work has been featured in New York Street Food, Visit Raleigh Blog, Raleigh Beer Guide, Wake Living Magazine, Visit Austin Blog and OUR State Magazine.